


Murder in Vogue

by rosabrachetto



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Hetabang 2020, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, gerita - Freeform, spamano - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23357803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosabrachetto/pseuds/rosabrachetto
Summary: When Lovino is accused of murder, Antonio must find the truth and clear his name name by defending him in court.Part of Hetabang 2020. Accompanying artwork by Lovi-chan @ https://lovi-chan.tumblr.com/
Relationships: Germany/North Italy (Hetalia), South Italy/Spain (Hetalia)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part of Hetabang 2020. Accompanying artwork by Lovi-chan @ https://lovi-chan.tumblr.com/

Business had been slow at the Fernández & Co. Law Offices. There wasn’t much crime going around, thus meaning few cases to work with. Nonetheless, Antonio still had a job to do. He arrived to work an hour before opening and started getting things ready. He decided to turn on the morning news, hoping the background noise would make the time go by faster.

 _“Earlier this morning, world-renowned fashion designer Lovino Vargas was arrested on suspicion of murder.”_ the reporter stated. _“The victim was men’s fashion model Ludwig Beilschmidt, who was also the fiancé of the suspect’s brother, Feliciano. The elder Vargas has been vocal about his disapproval of the engagement, which police believe is the motive. More investigation is needed before tomorrow’s trial.”_

~~~

Once it was time to open, Antonio went to unlock the door, where someone was already outside waiting. It was hard to make out who they were-due to the door being made of frosted glass-but they looked somewhat familiar, and seemed anxious. When he answered, he found a man dressed rather fashionably, covered in stylish sunglasses, a scarf, and borsalino hat, as if he were trying to come in disguise.

 _”Oddio!_ You’re here!” the man exclaimed as he entered, his voice carrying a thick Italian accent. “I was worried I would be stuck with one of your associates, _Signore_ Fernández! You don’t know how happy I am to see you, especially with all my heartache right now.”

“Excuse me, but, may I ask who you are, Sir?” Antonio asked. Although he could have sworn he had heard that voice before, he could not tell who this man was incognito.

“Oh, forgive me, but I must speak to you in private. I’m worried the press may be spying on us through these windows. Do you have someplace more discreet?”

“Of course.”

They went into the main office, where Antonio closed the blinds and locked the door. The man sat at his desk, where he took off the hat and sunglasses. It was then that Antonio’s jaw became agape as he saw who was sitting before him.

“You’re...” he gasped.

 _“Sì,”_ the man answered. “I am Feliciano Vargas, the world-renowned fashion designer and part owner of the Vargas International Passions clothing line, or V.I.P for short. I suppose you’ve already heard the news.”

“Yes, yes. I’m so sorry for your loss, Mr. Vargas.”

“It’s terrible, Seeing my soon-to-be husband dead like that. But that’s not the worst part.”

“Your brother?”

Feliciano sighed sadly, looking down to the side and squeezing his arm. 

“Listen, I know it’s hard having your brother murder your lover-“

“No! Don't say that!” Feliciano yelled. “Lovino didn’t kill him!”

Antonio stood back in shock. How could he defend the man that murdered someone so close to him?

“I know Lovi never liked my Luddy, but he’d never murder anyone! Never! You have to believe me, _Signore_ Fernández. Lovino is innocent!”

Feliciano buried his face in his hands and sobbed loudly. It sure seems like Feliciano was telling the truth, or at least what he believed was the truth. But, there was so much evidence that proved Lovino was the culprit, it would be ridiculous to argue the opposite

“Please, Mr. Fernández.” Feliciano sobbed quietly. “You have to save him. I already lost one person close to me. I cannot lose anyone else.”

If he took the case and lost, his reputation could be destroyed. But, if he didn’t, and Feliciano’s word was true, an innocent man could spend the rest of his life serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. And who knew what would happen to Feliciano.

“Alright,” Antonio sighed. “I’ll take the case.”

The Italian’s face suddenly lit up. _“Grazie! Grazie!”_ he exclaimed. “I’ll take you in the Ferrari to visit him right now!”

Antonio had no idea what he had gotten himself into, but he sure hoped he would not regret this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of Hetabang 2020. Accompanying artwork by Lovi-chan @ https://lovi-chan.tumblr.com/

As they waited at the detention center for Lovino, Feliciano twisted his fingers in a nervous pattern.

“Feliciano, what’s bothering you?”

”Oh nothing, it’s just-“

_”Dannazione,_ Feliciano!”

On the other side of the glass sat Lovino Vargas, his face bitter and full of rage. “What did I tell you about coming here?!” Lovino yelled. 

“But Lovi, I need to talk to you-“

“And who the hell is this?” Lovino continued as he turned his attention to Antonio.

“Ah, yes.” Antonio said. “Hello, Mr. Vargas. My name is Antonio Fernández. I am a lawyer, and will be defending you in court-“

“Well, piss off! I didn’t ask for a lawyer and I don't need one.”

”Lovino, please! He’s trying to help-“

“I told you specifically not to get me any legal help whatsoever, and look at what you do!”

“You can’t defend yourself in court. You’ll lose your case!”

“So?”

“So?! How can you think like that?! Especially now?! I know you didn’t kill Ludwig and yet your going to risk prison for this?! How could you?!”

“That's none of your goddamn business, Feli! We both know damn well the legal system is corrupt and fucked up! Evidence is always forged and tempered with! Witnesses are always full of shit! And innocent people always rot away in prison cells!”

”That’s not true! I know the legal system isn’t perfect, but everyone is doing the best they can. Please, Lovi, you can’t do this to me!”

“And why not?!”

“Because we’re all we have left!” Feliciano cried loudly, hiding his face from his brother, as tears started forming puddles. Lovino, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and turned the other way. “Please, Lovino, don’t leave me like this. _Ti sto implorando.”_

Antonio didn’t know how to approach this situation. Lovino had no interest in having someone defend him in court, and he couldn’t force it on him. Yet, Feliciano’s desperation was clear as day, and it hurt him to see him like this. There had to be something he could.

”Lovino,” Antonio began. “If you do not want a lawyer, I can respect your decision. However, I would like you to at least think about this before making anything official. Your brother is worried about you, and you're throwing everything away for a crime you didn’t commit. If the court finds you guilty, you could lose everything. Do you really want everything taken away from you because of this?”

He then stood up and helped Feliciano to his feet. “Let’s leave him alone for now.” he said gently. “We’ll come back later.”

In the meantime, Antonio had an idea.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of Hetabang 2020. Accompanying artwork by Lovi-chan @ https://lovi-chan.tumblr.com/

The two men went to a nearby café, where Feliciano drank some coffee and Antonio took out his notes. 

“First, Feliciano,” Antonio said. “When was the last time you saw Ludwig alive?”

“Just last night, after dinner.” Feliciano said. “He said he needed to go to the studio to take care of some things.”

“What sort of things?”

“That’s the strange part. Ludwig never leaves his work undone. If he had things to take care of, he would have taken care of it before leaving. Even if it was something he forgot to do, he wouldn’t go back; he’d wait until the next day.”

“What did Ludwig do at the studio anyway?”

”Oh, he was a model. I know, a muscular male model isn’t that common, but Lovino and I don’t follow traditional fashion standards.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever noticed how models in magazines and billboards are typically tall and thin? Our models aren’t like that. Our models are all different body types. Because beauty isn’t just one shape and size, it’s many shapes and sizes. And we want to reflect those shapes and sizes by having models in different shapes and sizes.”

“I see.”

“Since there aren’t many men with Ludwig’s body in the modeling industry, he spent a lot of time here with Lovi, mostly taking measurements and seeing which designs look well on Ludwig and which ones didn’t.”

“And what was their relationship like?”

“Well, let’s just say it could have been better. When Ludwig first started working here, Lovi tolerated him at best. But once he proposed to me, that’s when Lovi lost it. He gets overprotective, since we only have each other. Our parents died in an accident when we were young, and we only had our grandfather looking after us. But since he’s now deceased, it’s just Lovino and I. He thought Ludwig was trying to take me away from him.”

”And this feud everyone brings up-“

“Is why they suspect him of murdering Ludwig.”

Feliciano sighed, looking down at the ground and squeezing his arm. 

“Don’t worry, Feli.” Toni said. “We’ll find something to prove his innocence.”  
~~~  
Antonio arrived at the Vargas International Passion Studios, where the crime had taken place. Antonio knew it would not be easy for Feliciano to return here, but he needs to do some investigating. There had to be something to prove Lovino was innocent. 

They went up to men’s fashion floor, where an area near the windows were blocked off with crime tape. Just outside the scene, however, was a coat rack with a heavy coat on it that Feliciano quickly retrieved.

“Oh, Ludwig’s coat.” he sighed. “Lovi designed this one.”

Antonio noticed the gold V.I.P. stitching inside the jacket, along with a crumpled up piece of paper. He took it out and examined it. There was writing on it that read: _“I know your secret. Meet me tonight if you want it to remain a secret. Men’s studio. Midnight. Come alone. PS. tell anyone about this and Feliciano gets it.”_

_Secret?_ he thought. _What would Ludwig have to hide? And why would anyone want to hurt Feliciano?_

“Veh, what does that paper say?”

“Oh, uh, nothing.” Antonio said. He crumbled it back up and slipped it in his pocket. He would need to examine it later.

“Whoa whoa whoa there, buddy!” they heard a voice call. Out of nowhere came a tall, slightly buff man with glasses and blond hair with an odd cowlick to the side. “No one passed the crime scene, dudes.” he said.

“Detective Jones.” Antonio said. “You’re on this case?”

“Yeah,” he said. “The main homicide detective is on vacation, so I’m in charge of the case.”

“I see. Anything you can tell me?”

“Now now, I can’t spill the deets to just anyone.”

“But, Detective,” Feliciano interrupted. “Toni is defending Lovi. He needs anything he can get.”

The detective turned to the lawyer with a surprised look. “You’re taking on his defense?”

“Not yet,” Antonio replied. “He needs to think about it.”

“Well, you have a lot coming your way if you think this will be easy. They got Kirkland on the case as well.”

“Kirkland?” Feliciano asked.

“Yep. None other than Arthur Kirkland himself. The best prosecutor they have. Hasn’t lost a single case. Only a mad man would try to go up against him in court.”

“Toni,” Feliciano said. “Is this Kirkland really as bad as Jones says he is?”

“Let’s just say he’ll stop at nothing to get a guilty verdict. But, if Lovino is innocent, there will surely be a contradiction in his testimony.” He placed his hand on Feliciano's shoulder gently. “Let’s head back to the detention center. I might be able to convince Lovino to let me defend him in court.”


	4. Chapter 4

As they waited in the lobby of the detention center, Antonio turned to Feliciano.

“If you don’t mind.” he stated. “I want to talk to Lovino alone for a few minutes.”

“Alone?! But you saw how angry he was when he met you!”

“I want to try something really quick. It’s a little trick to get stubborn defendants to talk when they refuse. It works better when it’s just the defendant and their lawyer alone.” He then gave Feliciano a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Trust me, this is going to work, just wait out here until I say, ok?”

“Ok.”

Antonio then entered the visiting room, where he waited for Lovino. If what Feliciano said about his brother was true, then this had to work. 

When Lovino was brought out, he rolled his eyes and gave him a dirty look.

“I told you I didn’t need any help from lawyers!” Lovino exclaimed. “Why the hell are you wasting my time-?”

Antonio then presented the note from Ludwig's jacket, which caused Lovino to pause and read it.

“Where...where did you find this?” Lovino asked, his tone now getting softer.

“It was at the crime scene.” Antonio answered. “Inside Ludwig’s jacket. Do you know anything about this note?”

“No! You think I did, bastard?”

“No, but I do know one thing, that you definitely did not write it.”

“How-?”

“You’re protective of Feli. You’d never want harm to come to him, correct?”

“Y-yeah...”

“So, if you were the killer, why would you threaten harm on your own brother just to get rid of Ludwig? You didn’t like Ludwig, but even you wouldn’t stoop that low, would you?”

“Of course not.”

Antonio then looked Lovino straight into the eye. “This is clear proof that you were not the killer,” he continued. “However, this is all the proof I have to get you freed. It’s going to take the courts more than this to prove you’re innocent. I want to help you, just as much as Feliciano does. But, I can’t help you if you don’t talk and tell me what you know, in full honesty. So, will you please talk to me and tell me everything you know so I get your case ready?”

Lovino sighed, and slumped in his chair. “Fine, I’ll talk.” he answered. “But I’m not paying you until you get me out of here.”

Antonio simply smiled and took out his notes. “So, Lovino,” he said. “Where were you on the night of the murder?”

“I had just finished up work for the evening. Then I headed straight home, and while I was having dinner, the police arrived and arrested me.”

”I see. Now, you were not a big fan of Ludwig, correct? Why was that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Because he kept trying to take up Feliciano’s time with me, leaving me alone. I don’t want to admit it, but my brother is the only friend I have. So, to see him fall in love with someone and spend all his time with them, I get lonely. I wanted to be happy for my brother, honest. But, I feared I was losing the only person left in my life that was good to me. Ludwig was always telling my brother shit like ‘Lovino’s abusing you. Lovino’s controlling of you. You need to let go of him.’ But if that bastard had known what the two of us had been through, he would understand why I was so protective of him and suspicious of anyone getting too close to him.”

“I get it. You were worried about him taking your brother away from you, and you only had Feliciano.” 

“Right.”

”Is this why you were hostile toward Feliciano earlier today? Were you trying to keep him from getting involved in this mess?”

“Well, there was one other reason.”

“What was that?”

“I didn’t want Feli to see me weak and vulnerable like this. He gets so worried when people he cares about are in pain. He was already going through enough with Ludwig’s death, I didn’t want him to suffer anymore with me in jail.”

“I understand.” There was still something bothering him. “This note was found in Ludwig jacket, but it was one you made, correct?”

“So?”

“I don’t imagine someone would make something as a gift for someone they despised like you did.”

“Feli asked me to make it for him.”

“But Feli designs clothes as well; why didn’t he make it himself?”

“Because I’m the one in charge of men’s clothing. Feliciano’s specialty is in women’s clothing. I made the jacket, but I never made it for Ludwig. I made it for Feli, who gave it to Ludwig as a gift.”

“I see. Feli did mention you spent a lot of time with Ludwig at the studio.” There wasn’t much else Antonio could think of in regards to the case, so he figured he might as well get to know his client a little better. “So, Feli mentioned something about the company; that you don’t use typical models like others do. The models you use come in different shapes and sizes.”

“Exactly. Because whoever said models had to be tall and thin was an asshole and should eat shit. Feli didn’t like that as our slogan though.”

“Then what is your slogan?”

“‘Beauty comes in many sizes’ It’s in our catalog and all our ads.” Lovino then handed him a copy of the catalog and a fashion magazine, Antonio skimmed through it and found an article of Lovino in it, along with a photo of him and a red car.

“Interesting photo they took.” he commented. “A clothing designer next to a sports car.”

“It’s a Lamborghini.” Lovino added. “I may not be an automotive man, but I’m still a proud Italian. There’s no way I’d trade that in for any non-Italian made car. And it has to be red too, just like a tomato.” 

There wasn’t anything else he could think of to ask, and he needed time to examine any evidence he could get. 

“Well, I should head back to the office to look over any evidence. I'll see you around.” 

“You too.”  
~~~  
Antonio returned and met up with Feliciano.

“Well?” Feliciano asked. 

”He’s agreed to have me defend him.” Antonio said. “I managed to get some info about the night of the murder.”

“He...actually did that? But how?”

“You said he was protective of you, correct?”

“Yeah,”

“Well, when people are protective of someone, they often will keep things from them that may trigger or upset them. They also tend to hide weakness from them to look stronger than they actually are. Basically, they act differently in front of the ones they’re protecting than when they are alone.”

”You mean, Lovi was acting that way to protect me?”

“You’re going through a lot right now with your fiancé dying, and he didn’t want you to worry about him too.”

“Lovi...” Feliciano whispered to himself as a tear rolled down his cheek. “He’s always done so much for me. I just wish I could tell him that he doesn’t need to pretend anymore.”

Antonio patted Feliciano’s shoulder gently and smiled. “You’ll get your chance. I promise.” he said in a comforting tone. “For now though, let's go home and get ready for tomorrow's trial. We need to focus on getting him out of hail first and foremost.”

“Ok, Toni. Whatever you say.”


	5. Chapter 5

At the courthouse, Antonio went through his notes, trying to present his case. The evidence they had was minimal, so it was going to be difficult to prove Lovino was innocent.

“Yo, Tonio dude!”

Antonio looked up from his notes and found Alfred approaching him. “Detective?” he asked.

“Good thing I caught you.” He leaned in closer to him so the two could talk in secret. “Sorry about yesterday, man. Boss is just being really anal about confidential info.” He then pulled out a Manila envelope with documents in it. “I’m not really supposed to be giving this out to you, bro.” he whispered. “But I felt bad about leaving you out to dry like I did. So here.”

Antonio opened the envelope and pulled out the contents slowly. “The autopsy report?”

“Yeah, might not do you any good though.”

Antonio started reviewing the report for further information. _Time of Death, approximately 12:01am. Cause of death: bullet to head._

“Trial will begin shortly.” the bailiff called.

Antonio did not have much time, he needed to find something, fast.  
~~~  
The trial soon began, being led by Judge Basch Zwingli. After the formalities, Alfred took the stand.

“The victim had been in the studio late in the evening.” the detective stated. “The lights were dim, but were still bright enough to see the victim from across the street. Sometime after the victim had arrived, another person had arrived as well. It was moments later that a gunshot rang out, killing the victim. An eyewitness then alerted the authorities just as the suspect was leaving the scene of the crime.”

As Antonio listened, he noticed something that was missing from the report. If Ludwig had been shot, why was there no detail on the distance? Something like that would rule out murder or suicide. And why was there no bullet or gun present yet as evidence? 

“Very well.” Zwingli continued. “Mr. Fernández, your cross-examination?”

“Mr. Jones?” Antonio began. “The autopsy report states that the victim was shot in the head, correct?

“Yeah.”

“And about how far away would you say the shot was fired?”

“Not sure, but it was too far for it to be a suicide.”

“I imagine the coroner has retrieved the bullet from the victim's skull correct?”

“Yeah, he did bro. I got it right here.” Alfred reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag with the bullet inside. “As you can see, the ballistic markings on the bullet are clear as day.”

“Do they match the gun found at the scene of the crime?”

“That’s the thing, we didn’t find a gun at the scene of the crime.”

“Objection!” Arthur interrupted. “What sort of ridiculous questioning is this, Mr. Fernández? What difference does it make if the gun was at the end of the crime or not?! The defendant simply took the weapon with him.”

“If that were the case, then why hadn’t the gun been presented to the court as evidence. Surely, it must have been on the suspect at the time of his arrest-“

“There was no gun at the suspect's residence because he disposed of it as he left the scene of the crime!”

“Your honor, we cannot declare a verdict until all evidence has been presented, and we are still missing a vital piece of evidence.”

“And what might that be?”

“The gun, of course! With the weapon, we can not only determine whether the ballistic markings match that of the bullet that killed the victim, but we can also look up who the gun was registered to.”

“Objection! Even with the gun in our possession, it still would not prove anything. How do we know that the suspect didn't steal the gun?!”

“Because I doubt a man with his kind of money would need to steal anything.” 

“Well, there was a witness to the crime to prove his guilt.” he turned to the judge. “Your honor, I’d like to call in the next witness to the murder.”

“Very well,” the judge said, “bring in the next witness.”

Unless this witness was an expert in weapons, there had to be some sort of contradiction in his testimony.

The next witness entered, another man with shoulder length blond hair and also highly fashionable, just as much as the Vargas’. 

“Will the witness state his name for the record?”

_“Quoi?!”_ the man asked in shock, carrying a thick French accent. “How can you not know who I am?!”

Arthur slammed his hands onto the desk. “Your name, frog! I mean witness.” 

“Ugh. My name is Francis Bonnefoy. I am the founder of Bonnefoy Fashion Industries.”

“Mr. Bonnefoy,” Arthur began. “You happened to be staying at the hotel across the street from the studio where the crime took place, correct?”

_“Oui,_ that I was.”

“Begin your testimony, Mr. Bonnefoy.”

_This has got to be good,_ Antonio thought as he rolled his eyes.

“I was just sitting in my room, enjoying some television and drinking some wine when I heard what sounded like a gunshot coming from across the street. I looked out the window and found a man standing there. He was short and thin, and wearing a large black hoodie. By the time I had called the police, he had left in a gray Porsche.”

“Objection! I highly doubt what you saw was the defendant’s car, _mon amie.”_

“Don’t go mocking my accent! Of course it was _Monsieur_ Vargas’ car!”

“Exactly,” Arthur interrupted. “unless you have evidence to prove otherwise.”

“Actually, I do.” He then displayed the image in the magazine. “This was taken a couple months ago for a magazine interview. The caption just below the image clearly states that the vehicle here is the defendant’s own car, as well as the brand of said car. Care to tell us what it says, your honor?”

“Vargas, seen here with his red Lamborghini-!”

“Exactly, your honor, the car the witness saw could not have belonged to the defendant-!”

”Objection! Of course it’s the defendant’s vehicle. He has two cars, and used the grey Porsche. He’s wealthy enough to own two luxury brand cars, don’t you agree?”

“Even if he did own a second vehicle, I highly doubt it would be a Porsche.”

“And why do you believe that, Mr. Fernández?”

“Because of the defendant's own pride! Lovino may be accepting of other people's backgrounds, but he is still a proud Italian man. I doubt that someone as proud of his Italian nationality as him would own a vehicle from a German company. Also, take note of the color of the two vehicles. The defendant’s is red, much like the red on the Italian flag. It's doubtful that he would have any vehicle in grey.”

“That explains nothing! He could have stolen the vehicle to avoid suspicion!”

“And again, I remind you of his national pride. If he were to steal a vehicle, he wouldn't settle for a non-Italian made car.” 

“Well, consider this. The defendant knew his pride would give him away, so he hired an accomplice to drive him to the studio. One that owned a vehicle that the defendant would never own himself, thus eliminating him as a suspect. He goes inside the studio, while the accomplice waits outside inside the car. Then, when the defendant returns, he gets back in the car with the accomplice and leaves in the same vehicle.”

“An accomplice?!”

The crowd muttered to themselves as Basch called for order. During the chaos, Antonio fumbled through the notes trying to find anything to contradict the testimony.

“Mr. Kirkland,” Basch asked. “are you suggesting that there may have been an accomplice in this crime?” the judge asked.

“It’s the only way a prideful man like Mr. Vargas could have been seen with a vehicle that he normally would not own. Unless the defense is desperate enough to try and convince us that it wasn’t.”

”Mr. Fernández, do you have any other evidence that contradicts the witness’ testimony?”

It was then that Antonio had something.

“Actually, your honor, I do. Mr. Bonnefoy, can you remind the court what the defendant was wearing when you saw him commit the crime!”

“Now why would I waste my time repeating such nonsense!”

“Witness!” the judge ordered. “You will answer the defense’s question!”

“He was wearing a large black hoodie. Quite tacky if you ask me.”

“Your honor, look at the photo of the defendant taken at the time of his arrest.” He then presented the newspaper to the court. “The defendant is clearly seen not wearing the large black hoodie the witness claims he saw-!”

“Objection!” Arthur interrupted. “He changed clothing between leaving the scene of the crime and the time of his arrest-!”

“And where would he have time to change clothing? Let alone go from a large black hoodie to something more fashionable? Remember, this man designs men’s fashion for a living. And is also prideful of his work. He wouldn’t wear some generic hoodie, let alone own one.”

“And what makes you think he wouldn’t own a hoodie?”

“Your honor, I request that the police investigate the defendants home to find the hoodie in question.”

“Objection! Finding that dumb hoodie would be irrelevant to the case!”

“If the hoodie is found in the defendant's home, it would prove that he is the killer.”

“It would take a whole day to find it, and we’d have to suspend the trial.”

“Then I request that we suspend the trial until a thorough examination of the defendant's home is committed!”

“Objection! I object because I am Arthur Kirkland and I can!”

“Order!” the judge interrupted. “It is our duty to make sure the verdict is as accurate as possible. If anything comes into question we must examine it further. The evidence today raises doubt about the suspect, therefore, I will suspend today’s trial and I order the prosecution to examine the defendants home for the clothing the witness saw the defendant wearing on the night of the murder.”

”Yes, your honor!” Arthur replied begrudgingly.

“This concludes today’s trial. Proceeding will continue tomorrow.”


	6. Chapter 6

The three of them were back at the detention center, discussing the trial.

“Who was that witness anyway?” Antonio asked. “And why was he acting so defensive?”

“Francis Bonnefoy.” Feliciano answered. “He owns Bonnefoy Fashion Industries, and is our biggest rival.”

“Rival, eh?”

“Stuck up baguette bastard always steals our shit and tries to pass it off as his own.” Lovino added. “If we put our name on it, he’ll stitch his tag right over it.”

“Mr. Fernández, you don’t think he...?”

“No, I don’t think he’s the murder. Being your rival isn’t enough proof to convict him. We should check the crime scene again.”

It was then that he got a call from the detective.

“Jones?” he answered, then paused while the detective spoke on the other end. “Of course.” He hung up and gathered his things. “Come with me, Feli.” he continued. “We might have new evidence.”  
~~~  
At the criminal affairs department, they sat in a dark, private room waiting for the detective to arrive. As Antonio went over the notes from the trial, Feliciano tapped on the table anxiously. 

“Is something wrong, Feli?” Amtonio asked calmly. 

“Ve, well, it’s just,” Feliciano began. “What if he really did do it? I don't want to believe it, but we haven’t found anything to prove he’s innocent-“

“Relax, everything is going to be ok.” 

Alfred then entered with a large envelope.

“So, anything new?” Antonio asked.

“Well,” Alfred said as he sat down. “The hoodie was nowhere at the crime scene nor Vargas’ place. But everyone believed it has little relevance to the case. However, about that car-“

“The Porsche?”

“Yeah, we ran the license plate and it doesn’t belong to anyone; it’s actually a rental.”

“Rental?”

“Yep.” he handed the envelope to Antonio. “I’m not really supposed to be handing this info out there, but both that snooty witness and Kirkland are getting under my skin lately.”

Antonio opened the envelope, scanning the documents to find anything on the rented vehicle. “Feliks Łukasiewicz” he read. “Do you know him by chance?”

“Oh, of course.” Feliciano answered. “He was another one of Lovi’s models. Though I don’t know why he'd want to put Lovi in jail, since it would mean he’d be out of work.” 

“He’s the last person on record to have rented it. And he turned it in the day after the murder.” He put the envelope in his suitcase and headed out. “C'mon, we should investigate.”

“Him?” Feliciano asked in shock. “But he couldn’t possibly be the murderer.”

“Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. There’s only one way to know for sure.”


	7. Chapter 7

They tracked down the address to Feliks' apartment and arrived at the destination. While there was a possibility that this person may have been involved, Antonio couldn't say for sure without evidence. 

The door opened and a thin man with medium blond hair answered. 

"Ciao, Feliks." Feliciano said cheerfully. 

"What are you doing here?" Feliks asked, his tone very sassy. 

"We just wanted to ask you some questions about the night of Ludwig's murder." Antonio answered. 

"Oh, _him?"_

"Yes, you haven't heard? It's been all over the news." "I don't watch news, it's either too boring or too sad. But please, come in."

They went inside and Antonio began to explain. 

"The vehicle found at the scene of the crime was rented out by you, correct?"

"Yes, but I swear I left it parked here overnight. Someone must have stolen it and returned it while I slept." 

"Why did you need a rental car anyway?"

"Because mine was in a repair shop. I just got it back earlier today." 

"I see."

It was then that they noticed a pile of old clothing in garbage bags across the floor. 

"I had no idea you still kept all our old collections, Feliks." Feliciano said. 

"Those old things?" Feliks asked. "Just cleaning out the closet for the latest trends. It's not like I'll be wearing them ever again."

The three of them made their way to the living room. 

"So, you worked with Ludwig?" Antonio asked, wondering if he could get anything out of him. 

"Yeah, well, used to anyway." Feliks answered, laying down on the couch. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Lovino was tired of me ruining his shows, what with my crowd engaging and interacting. So he wanted to fire me." 

"But he didn't." Feliciano interrupted. "Because I offered him a position as backstage assistant." 

"That's good, I mean, with Feli getting you a new position." 

"I guess."

As the other two men talked, Antonio then noticed one of the items if clothing was a black hoodie. He went and retrieved it, examining the contents. 

"You actually want that thing?" Feliks exclaimed in disgust. ""It's so three years ago!"

"Not really-" It then occurred to him that this could be evidence to finding the culprit, if he could prove this one belonged to the murder. "Actually, I will take it." 

If this was the hoodie the murder wore, they might have a lead. The only way to know for sure though was to have the forensics lab examine it.  
~~~  
They arrived at the criminal affairs department and handed the clothing off to the lab and waited in the lobby.  
"Not to be rude," Antonio said, "but you don't have to be here for the investigation." Although Feliciano wasn't a bad person to be around, it was strange to have him a part of the investigation. 

"Veh, but I want to. I haven't had anyone to talk with, with Ludwig gone and Lovino in jail." 

He did feel sorry for Feliciano, but needed some alone time to think about the case. He went into his wallet and took out some cash. 

"Do you mind picking up some lunch for me?" he asked. "There's enough for you as well." 

"You don't need to pay for me." Feliciano replied. "But I can go get you something." 

It was sometime after Feliciano left that Alfred came out. 

"Is Feli around?" the detective asked. 

"No." Antonio asked. "Why? What is it?" 

"It's the evidence. The good news is we found some wiretapping equipment inside the pockets, along with a cellphone. We were still trying to identify the owner of the phone, but we have the wiretapped recordings ready." 

"And the bad news?" 

"Feli isn't going to like what we found. I can give you a listen in private, though." 

"Of course." 

They went inside one of the rooms and Alfred set up the audio. ""It's a conversation between the victim and Bonnefoy." he explained, before he turned on the record. "Listen."

> **Francis:** So, what are Vargas' plans for the fall lineup?
> 
> **Ludwig:** Just your traditional fall apparel. Scarves, jackets, jeans, boots,
> 
> **Francis:** Ugh, so unimaginative! Where’s the flare?”
> 
> **Ludwig:** Lovino doesn’t change his style up that often, Mr. Bonnefoy. Men’s fashion isn’t as flashy as women’s.
> 
> **Francis:** Nevermind that. What are Feliciano’s plans for the women’s?
> 
> **Ludwig:** I don’t know, all my time has been with Lovino, I haven’t gotten a chance to look at Feli’s-
> 
> **Francis:** I didn’t send you to spy on them just to lollygag with the hotheaded buffoon. I need Feliciano's plans by tomorrow or else! 

As the call ended, Antonio sat in mild shock. "The victim was working with the witness to steal their ideas. That must have been the secret the murder knew about."

"He used it to lure Ludwig to the scene of the crime. Somehow, Ludwig managed to take from the suspect, only to get murder instead." 

"Feli..." Antonio sighed and leaned back in his seat. "He's going to be so heartbroken at the trial."


	8. Chapter 8

The next day at the courthouse, Antonio took one last look at his notes, wondering how Feliks could have been involved with Ludwig’s death. The evidence was there, but there was no motive, making it more difficult.

“After further investigation,” Arthur began, “we found no sign of any hoodie at the defense's residency. Additionally, the vehicle in question turned out to be a rental, but the man renting it had nothing to do with the crime, as he will testify.”

“Very well,” Judge Zwingli ordered. “You can call in your next witness.”

I have my suspicions, Antonio thought. but no full proof evidence.

“Will the witness please state his name and occupation for the court?”

“Feliks Łukasiewicz. Backstage assistant.”

“Will you please testify to your whereabouts on the nightbof yhe murder?”

“I had finished up at the studio at around 8pm, and got home about five minutes later. I went to bed just before 10pm, and woke up at around 7am."

“The witness was clearly not at the scene of the crime when the murder took plave.” Arthur concluded.

"Very well,” the judge said. “Mr. Fernández, your cross examination.”

This wasn’t going to be easy, but he had to find something to contradict this testimony.

“What were you doing working so late at the studio?” he asked. 

“I was setting up for an upcoming show. We had to wait until all the models had gone before getting the new clothes ready backstage.” 

“And you didn’t see anyone when you left?”

“No, not at all?”

“What is your point, Fernández?” Arthur interrupted. “Clearly, this witness has nothing to do with the trial.”

“Actually, he does.” He then revealed the wire tap. “This wiretap was found at your residency?”

“And?”

“It recorded a conversation on the victim’s phone. What exactly were you doing wiretapping Ludwig?”

“I was ordered to.”

“By who?”

“I’m not allowed to say.”

“Did they say why they needed you to wiretap Ludwig?"

“They suspected he was up to no good.”

“So, you were ordered by someone to wiretap the victim’s phone because they believed he was up to know good.” Zwingli asked. 

“Yes, Your Honor.

“As you can see, the witness simply wiretapped the victim's phone, against their own will, mindyou.” Arthur continued. “This witness is by no means a murderer.”

“Hold it! Mr. Łukasiewicz, you mentioned yesterday that Lovino wanted to-for lack of a better term-relieve you of modeling duties before, correct?”

“Yeah so?”

“Was this before or after Ludwig was brought on board?”

“Objection! What sort of ridiculous questioning is this Fernández?”

“I mean, imagine you get switched positions at your job, only to have them hire someone else to take over your place and get all the attention. Wouldn’t you want that person out of your sight and away from your work?”

“What are you trying to get at, boy?! That the witness was jealous of the victim’s spotlight and murdered him out of said revenge and jealousy?! He just testified that he was ordered to wiretap the victim’s phone by someone else!”

“But the witness has declined to tell us whom that person was, meaning we have no way to verify that claim. For all we know, the witness could be lying about being under someone else’s orders-“

“You’re really suggesting this witness has committed perjury?! The witness would not do such a thing because that is a serious offense.”

“Murder is a serious offense too, and that hasn’t stopped anyone before, now has it? Your honor, unless we have someone to verify the witness’ claim, we cannot declare a verdict on the defendant.”

“Bonnefoy!” Feliks exclaimed.

The court erupted in chaos and the judge quickly called things back into order. 

“Witness,” the judge asked. “what was it you just now said to the court?”

“Bonnefoy!” Feliks answered. “H-he ordered the wiretap. He’s the killer, not me!”

“Objection! Bonnefoy testified yesterday that he was across the hotel when the crime happened. There is no way he could have been the murder.”

“B-but, the call, on the wiretap. Listen to it. It’s him and the victim!”

“Order!” the judge cried. “In light of recent developments, I would like the prosecution to order Francis Bonnefoy back into court. I would also like a thorough investigation at Bonnefoy’s residency for any new evidence. In the meantime, I will call a short recess so that both prosecution and defense can examine any new evidence. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”  
~~~  
During the recess, Antonio was in the lobby when he heard someone approach him.”Fernández.” Feliks said.

“Oh, hey-“

“I know it might seem like I had a motive to kill Ludwig, but I swear I’m innocent.”

“So is Lovino, and he’s the one on trial-“

It was then that Feiks handed him a scrap of paper. “What is this?”

“There was a note at the scene of the crime, correct?”

“Yeah, there was, how did you-“

“Francis. He wrote it and had me deliver it to Ludwig. I had no idea what it said, but I can assure you I wasn’t the one who wrote it. This is a sample of my hand writing to compare the two.”

“Oh, thanks.” He looked back at the original note and the writing sample. “Well, they don’t seem to match, but we would need a sample of Francis’ as well.”

It was then that Alfread had arrived.

“Detective,” Antonio said. “Any word on that hoodie?”

“Well, there wasn’t any blood on Feliks’ hoodie. However, at Bonnefoy’s, we happened to come across two guns and a cellphone. Both the phone and one of the guns was registered to the victim.”

“And the other was to Bonnefoy?”

“Yep.”

“The phone? Was there a recording?” Feliks asked.

“Er, nope. No recording.”

“He erased it then.”

“Huh?”

“The day of the murder. Ludwig made another call threatening to expose Francis, he even mentioned having it recorded. Framcis must have stolen the phone and deleted it. I still have a copy of the wiretap, just not on me.”

“Is it alright if Feliks goes back to get the recording?” Antonio asked.

“Well, he’d have to be escorted back-“ 

“That’s fine, but please hurry.”


	9. Chapter 9

Soon, the court returned to session.

“Where is Mr. Łukasiewicz?” the judge asked.

“Currently, Łukasiewicz is under police watch as he claims he has decisive evidence against Vargas.” Arthur answered.

_That’s not what he said but ok._ Antonio thought, but there was no point arguing that now.

Francis was back on the stand, even more annoyed and angered than before.

“Now, well the witness where he actually was on the night of the murder?”

“As I said before, I was just across the street at the hotel, I was there from 10:30pm until 6:30am, not leaving my room at once. The staff there can certify that.”

“Hold it. You say that you were at the hotel across the street, but why?”

“Why?!”

“There are plenty of hotels here, and yet, you chose one directly across the street from your rival.”

“It was cheap, ok? A high end fashion designer can’t stay at cheap hotels?”

“Of course they can, but that’s not where I’m going.”

“Well, then where are you going, Fernández?”

“The staff said they saw you check in at 10:30, but the front desk closes at 11:30 and doesn’t open up until 5am, meaning you could have gone out between then and the time of the murder, then returned without anyone noticing. And since it was close to the studio, it gave you enough time to commit the crime quickly.”

“That doesn’t prove this witness is the murder.”

“We also found the wiretap from Feliks of you and the victim discussing plans to steal the Vargas designs.”

“Objection! If that were the case, then sure Francis would want Ludwig alive rather than dead.”

“But, Mr. Łukasiewicz says he has proof of another call between the witness and the victim. One with the victim threatening to expose the witness.”

“You think I murdered Beilschmidt to keep him quiet?”

“There was also a note found at the scene of the crime luring the witness to the scene. Łukasiewicz has already proved a sample of his handwriting to compare that to the note, which did not match. As for how he knew about it, he says he was ordered to deliver it to the victim. After all, you couldn’t have gone into the studio without suspicion, so you needed someone on the inside to do it for you.

“Let’s get this straight, Fernández. You claim that the witness had Łukasiewicz deliver a note to the witness to lure him to the scene, stole Łukasiewicz’s car to arrive to the hotel, stayed at the hotel until the victim showed up, sneaked out of the hotel after the front desk closed, went to the scene to commit murder, then sneaked back in, and returned Łukasiewicz’ car in the morning before he woke up?”

“Correct.”

“Then where is the murder weapon? Was there any guns at the scene of the crime?”

“Oh Kirkland, even you should know that a murder never leaves the weapon at the scene of the crime.”

“Then how can you prove it was this witness.”

“There were two guns found at his residency.”

The jury then went back into chaos. As the judge tried to return the courtroom to order. Feliks and Alfred had returned.

“Here,” Feliks said, handing him the second recording, along with some more documents.

“What are these?” Antonio asked.

“We matched the guns with the ballistic markings on the bullet. They matched with Francis’ gun, but that doesn't explain why Ludwig’s was fired as well, especially since there weren't any other bullets found at the crime scene.”

“Mr. Fernández?” Basch asked. “Do you have any new evidence you'd like to share?”

“Actually, I do. I have with me the second recording between the witness and the victim.”

“Well them, let's play it.”

They set up the audio and played the recording:

> **Francis:** Well, do you have the women’s designs?  
>  **Ludwig:** Yes.  
>  **Francis:** Well then, give them to me.  
>  **Ludwig:** No.  
>  **Francis:** What?!  
>  **Ludwig:** You heard me! I’m not giving you anything!  
>  **Francis:** It’s that damn engagement, isn’t it?!  
>  **Ludwig:** I’m recording this call right now as we speak. I’m going to expose you for the fraud you truly are!  
>  **Francis:** I’m not going to let you get away with this, Beilschmidt!

“Objection! All this proves is that the victim planned to expose the witness, it doesn’t prove that the witness is the murder.

“Exactly,” Francis interrupted, “I’m just a victim of blackmail!”

“I also have the results of the guns found at Bonnefoy’s residency. And one of them is an exact match to the ballistic markings on the bullet that killed Ludwig Belischdmidt.”

“Objection! Anyone could have stolen the gun and used if. Are there any fingerprints?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean the witness wore gloves to hide them.”

“That still doesn’t prove Francis is the murder.”

“Y-yeah, what he said.” Francis added.

Antonio could tell that he was getting nervous, especially since he was now talking.

“Where’s the real proof?!” Francis exclaimed. “How can you prove it wasn’t someone stealing my gun to frame me?”

It was then that he had an idea.

“Your honor,” Antonio began, “two guns were found at Bonnefoy’s residency, and both guns were fired. However, only one fired the shot that killed. The other gun found was registered to the victim.”

“S-so?”

“Since there were no other bullets found at the scene of the crime, I believe the bullet fired from Ludwig’s gun is still inside Francis’ body.”

“And what makes you so sure?”

“Well, the witness is not a surgeon, so he could not remove the bullet himself. And having a professional remove it would leave the surgeon as a witness, not to mention if it was removed and compared to ballistics on Ludwig’s gun, it would place him at the scene of the crime“

“Are you suggesting we waste time having a surgeon remove a non-existent bullet inside this witness?”

“No, but if the witness is innocent, he would have no problem subjecting himself to a metal detector test. I’m sure one if the bailiffs have a metal detector on them to conduct the test-“

“Enough! Fine, I confess, I murdered Ludwig. Lovino is innocent. Just don’t make me undergo that stupid metal detector test!”

“A separate trial will be conducted for Mr. Bonnefoy’s sentencing.” Zwingli stated. “As for the defendant, I find Mr. Lovino Vargas not guilty. Court is adjourned.”  
~~~  
Things were starting to settle down in the lobby when Lovino approached Antonio.

“Hey, bastard.” he said.

“Is that anyway to greet the man that saved your life?” Antonio teased.

“I just wanted to say thanks. I thought all lawyers were just greedy scum trying to corrupt the legal system. But your not one of them.”

“Of course, I’m just glad to see an innocent man freed.”

“Lovino!”

Feliciano came running towards them and hugged Lovino and sobbed into his chest. “Lovi, it’s horrible.”

“Thanks, jerk.” Lovi said.

“What’s horrible, Feli? Your brother is free-“

“Ludwig,” Feli interrupted. “he, was working with Francis all along.”

“I told you he was a bastard.” Lovi added.

“To think I almost married someone who just wanted to steal all my hard work.”

“I don't think so.” Antonio said with a confident smile.

“Veh? What do you mean, Mr. Fernández?”

“Ludwig refused to give the designs to Bonnefoy, and left a bullet in him to pin him to the scene of the crime. I think Ludwig knew how hard you worked on your designs, and didn’t want Bonnefoy to take credit for it. Plus, the note he received said if he didn’t show, you would have gotten hurt.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I think Ludwig did care about you, enough to not only expose his boss but to risk his own life just so you would be safe.”

“Ludwig...risked everything...even his life...for me?”

Antonio hugged Feliciano until he started to calm down. During that time, he noticed Lovino gave them a small smile as well.

“Cmon, Feli.” he said. “You know Ludwig wouldn’t want you moping around here, now would he?”

“I guess not.”

“There’s a bar nearby the lawyer's office, why don't we celebrate? There’s gonna be _bellas.”_

_“Bellas?”_ Feli asked, perking up a bit.

“Yep. And you can come to, Fernández. Might as well, since you helped.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

A criminal was arrested, an innocent man was freed, and a broken heart was mended.

And one more case closed.


End file.
